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Children’s Cabinet meeting: licensing rollout delayed; work groups outline training, marketing and retention plans
Summary
At a Children’s Cabinet meeting, leaders said the licensing system scheduled for February will not launch after UAT problems, the Office of Early Childhood’s new leader met staff, and work groups reported on provider Narcan and CPR trainings, HUD-funded KCK initiatives, marketing materials and retention tools.
Jarvis (Chair) told the Children’s Cabinet that the new child care licensing system originally scheduled for February will not go live after user-acceptance testing revealed problems, and staff are working with the vendor to set a new timeline.
Why it matters: The system delay affects providers relying on updated licensing workflows and communications; work groups used the cabinet meeting to coordinate training, outreach and retention steps they say will help providers during the transition.
At the meeting, Jarvis noted, “The original timeline was for February. It is February now, and it is not live,” and asked members to share the update with partners while the vendor and staff finalize a new rollout schedule.
Work group reports and trainings Clayton (Work group member) summarized a marketing effort to create flyers and talking points tailored to four audiences—unlicensed providers, the general public, parents and current licensed providers—to clarify the benefits of licensure. “We’re specifically thinking of creating these resources for 4 different audiences,” he said, describing the group’s work to turn talking points into shareable one-pagers.
Dana (Innovation Center) announced a free provider training day on Saturday, Feb. 28, with morning sessions on various topics and an afternoon first-aid and CPR course; the event will include a meal and has no registration fee. A provider who spoke about public-health training said their organization will host opioid and naloxone instruction next week and “give them a free, free thing of, Narcan.” Meeting participants said the local health department is sponsoring that training.
Funding and local initiatives Laura (government) reported that unified-government community development funds in Kansas City, Kansas—including some HUD funding—are being directed toward projects to increase access for low-income child care providers. She said the first project moving forward is funding fencing to create safer outdoor play areas for family child care homes and neighboring commercial facilities.
Retention and navigation support A work group member described widespread “navigation fatigue” among providers as state and local systems change, and urged clearer, consistent communications so providers can find timely information. The group discussed interpretive guides, website clarity and examples of strong licensing–provider relationships that could be scaled to reduce turnover.
Other notes Melissa (Presenter) invited cabinet members to the recommendations panel’s fifth annual governance summit (livestreamed) and said she would post the event link in the chat. Organizers reminded members the March meeting will be an evening session on March 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and attendees split into breakout groups to continue work-group discussions.
What’s next: Staff will share a revised timeline for the licensing system when available; work groups will continue drafting marketing materials and coordinating trainings and retention tools ahead of the March meeting.
